Key Members of Congress today asked the FCC; the National Telecommunications and Information Administration; the National Association of Broadcasters; the ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox networks, as well as their corresponding network affiliate associations how they plan to resolve some of the issues identified in the Wilmington, N.C., digital television transition test market.

In the letters, John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), the chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), the chairman of the Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee, wrote: "The Wilmington test revealed many problems related to the transition, including consumers who (1) did not know they needed to rescan their boxes to search for new channels after the switch; (2) needed to obtain or adjust antennas to receive digital signals; or (3) were no longer able to receive a station's signal because that station's digital signal contour differs from its analog coverage area."

They asked each of the recipients to outline by Nov. 14 the steps they will take to avoid similar problems when the rest of the nation transitions to digital on Feb. 17, 2009.